And I Just Can't Take My Eyes Off You
by tatecherie
Summary: "But despite the warnings, the danger signs, and the red lights burning in the back of their minds, longing pushed its way to the front."  A series of one-shots following a storyline. All based on songs belonging to Lady Antebellum. Set somewhere in S4.
1. Can't Take My Eyes Off You

:)

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>You know the drill. I'm not ABC, Andrew Marlowe, and blah blah blah. All rights belong to them.  
>Oh! And all of these songs belong to Lady Antebellum.<p>

**A/N: **Hey, everyone! It's me again...with a new Castle fic!

And no, this does _not_ mean I'm neglecting my other Castle story, _Swings. _I _promise_ I'm still working on it...  
>I just had a sudden idea for this one while listening to some good ol' Lady A,<br>and it simply had to come out.

**Josh is no longer in the picture!**

_AND IT'S OKAY_ if you don't like or have never listened to/heard of Lady Antebellum...  
>I'm not necessarily using their voices (although <em>I <em>think it adds a nice touch for _most_ of the songs I'm using), but their lyrics.  
><strong><em>But for this specific chapter, I highly recommend giving this song a listen. It's one of the most gorgeous songs I've heard.<em>**

Also, just reiterating the summary...these ARE short-ish _and _long-ish one-shots, but they follow a storyline.  
>I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out, I have faith in you!<p>

Hopefully you'll enjoy, and thanks for reading! Remember to leave your thoughts after you're done reading...  
>:)<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Can't Take My Eyes Off You<strong>

_I know that the bridges that I've burned along the way_  
><em>Have left me with these walls and these scars that won't go away.<em>  
><em>And opening up has always been the hardest thing...<em>  
><em>Until you came.<em>

Katherine Beckett wasn't sure of how she'd gotten here.

Here, in Richard Castle's arms, slow-dancing to some soft, sappy, sentimental song.

They'd simply been having a drink after a long and tiring case, when Castle had suddenly stood, setting his wine glass down to take Kate's hand, pulling her up off of her couch.

"Dance with me."

She'd given him a look, but didn't resist as gravity took over, pulling her into him.

Her arms went around his neck as his snaked around her waist, and they slowly began to rock back and forth as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Silence filled the room, peacefully suspended over them.

Kate abruptly laughed softly, causing Castle to pull back in order to look at her.

"What?"

"There's no music."

"So? It's like _The Notebook_," he grinned.

She grinned back, making his smile automatically grow even wider.

"Here." Kate watched as he made his way across the room to her CD player, and then proceeded to search through her stack of CDs. "Here's a good one."

Her smile was renewed as the sound of Lady Antebellum filled the air, and Castle came back to her, molding himself right back to where he'd been earlier.

"Better?"

"Better," she murmured against his chest.

Anxious thoughts of how dangerous it was to be that close to Richard Castle nudged her loudly, but she closed her eyes and stilled, letting him sway her to the slow beat of the music.

She suddenly felt his gaze on her, and looked up to meet his seas of blue.

Wordlessly, he lifted a hand up, brushing the back of it against her cheek.

Slowly, their lips moved towards each other, cautiously pausing a millimeter from behind the line that had forever seperated them.

Sure, their lips had met the other's before, but not like...this.

They both felt and heard the possible repercussions ringing frantically in their ears, warning them that once they crossed that line, there was no going back.

The line _was_ the point of no return.

But despite the warnings, the danger signs, and the red lights burning in the back of their minds, longing pushed its way to the front.

They collided against each other, both tasting the red wine on the other's mouth, feeling the fire burning in their chests.

_So lay here beside me, just hold me, and don't let go._  
><em>This feeling I'm feeling is something I've never known,<em>  
><em>And I just can't take my eyes off you.<em>  
><em>And I just can't take my eyes off you.<em>

Kate knew she should be running - running far, far away before the fire became too much and incinerated her to nothingness - but a faint peace entered her being and calmed her, allowing her to stay as the last bit of her fear ebbed away.

_I love when you tell me that I'm pretty when I just wake up,  
>And I love how you tease me when I'm moody, but it's never too much.<br>I'm falling fast, but the truth is I'm not scared at all...  
>You climbed my wall.<em>

She suddenly became aware of the fact that Castle was leading her across the room towards the hall, and then to her bedroom.

But to her surprise, nothing screamed at her as he began opening the door; lightning didn't suddenly strike them down.

Nobody popped out to stop them as she followed him into the room, connecting her lips to his again.

Kate just felt like she was finally in the right place.

_So lay here beside me, just hold me, and don't let go._  
><em>This feeling I'm feeling is something I've never known,<em>  
><em>And I just can't take my eyes off you.<em>  
><em>And I just can't take my eyes off you, off you, off you.<em>

_So lay here beside me, just hold me and don't let go._  
><em>Oh, this feeling I'm feeling is something I've never known,<em>  
><em>And I just can't take my eyes off you.<em>  
><em>And I just can't take my eyes off you.<em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Review? :)<br>Let me know if I should continue, por favor!  
>If I do, they'll probably be a little longer than this...I just didn't have the time tonight to write a whole book for this one scene.<em>**

**_But I might come back later and add more...ya never know. _**

**_Song is "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," in case you couldn't guess. ;)_**

**_Thanks for reading, loves!_**


	2. Last Night Last

**Disclaimer: **I stilllllll don't own Castle. But that doesn't mean I can't dream, though...

**A/N: **Alrighty, so this is pretty much the fastest I've ever updated.  
>So snaps and claps for me! ;p<p>

Enjoy, and _please remember to review!  
><em>Didn't get a lot of reviews last time around...so if ya'll could fix that, that would be fantastic.  
>Just sayin'.<p>

I'm only 16, so my ego is very fragile...

Totally kidding. I'm not fragile at all. But reviews would still be nice.  
>:)<p>

_**P.S. This one has a vague reference to the S3 finale...so I guess, spoilers for the people that have been living under a rock.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Last Night Last<strong>

_There's a towel on the bathroom door,  
>a t-shirt in my dresser if you like,<br>and I'll go put the coffee on...  
>I'll pour a cup for you if you've got the time.<br>All these years, we've been nothing but friends, and even though we didn't plan on this..._

Castle's eyes slowly opened as the sun came streaming in through the open window.

He started to move, but then suddenly stiffened at the sound of steady breathing beside him.

Then the realization hit him that none other than Kate Beckett was laying in his arms, her head nested in the crook between his neck and shoulder.

And all of a sudden, vivid images of the previous night flashed through his mind.

Skin - set on fire by a simple touch, lips tingling with the other's caress...

He suppressed a groan as Kate stirred.

What was he supposed to say to her? He knew if he told her that he lo- well, if he told her his true feelings about what had happened between them, she would most likely run and hide...just like she had when she had woken up from surgery.

But if he just tried to pretend like nothing had ever happened?

It would be one hell of an awkward morning.

He felt her suddenly still, and guessed that she had just remembered where she was, too.

A few seconds passed in a heavy silence, as he waited for her to say something along the lines of, _'I'm sorry,' 'I don't know what the hell I was thinking,' 'I'm sorry, that was stupid,' _or _'I can't believe I let this happen.'_

The fear of her uttering those words abruptly overcame him, causing his heart to plummet to his gut, and a lump to rise in his throat.

Although no tears fell, he felt his eyes glaze over.

To him, it wasn't just a one-night stand produced by exhaustion and alcohol.

To him, it wasn't just another beautiful girl in bed.

It was an _extraordinary _woman.

A _gorgeous _woman - his partner, his best friend, his...

His _Katherine Beckett_.

He moved just a bit to watch as she finally broke the stillness they'd created, slowly sitting up to swing her legs over the side.

She sat still on the edge of the bed for a second, and Castle sighed as he took in the sight of her bare back and shoulders in the daylight.

Kate suddenly slid off the bed onto the floor, silent.

His heart dropped to the floor with her.

He moved to grab the blanket he'd noticed on the ground the night before.

"Here."

She turned to look over the bed to see him holding the blanket out to her, and then slwoly rose to her knees to carefully take it from him as if it was an explosive.

"Thanks."

Kate wrapped it around herself and stood, and then made her way to the bathroom without even so much as a backwards glance.

He sighed again, standing up in turn, and pulled on the clothing that had found its way to the floor in the rush of passion.

Running a hand through his hair, he walked to the kitchen as he heard the shower start.

As if someone turned on auto-pilot, Castle began making a pot of coffee while he tried to make himself forget.

Forget the way she felt.

Forget the consuming fire that had burned him alive.

Forget the way they'd moved in perfect synchronization - like they'd been together all their lives.

He tried to make himself forget, because he was sure that that was what she was doing...and he only wanted her to be happy.

Castle listened to the shower suddenly stop, and he began mentally preparing himself for rejection in the worst way as he finished making the coffee.

* * *

><p><em>I probably should be going now,<br>'cause I'm not quite sure what to say.  
>I'm so afraid you might get scared, if I told you how much I wanna stay.<br>Here we are, somewhere between lovers and friends;  
>Is this the end, or where it begins?<em>

Kate stepped out of the shower and dried her hair absently as she watched the bathroom door.

She was terrified of what would happen once she set foot on the other side.

Would he still be in the room?

Would he want to talk?

Would he want to break things off with her for good?

Or would he still even be in the building?

Would he have made a run for it as soon as she had gotten in the shower, leaving her to be just another notch in his bedpost?

Just the thought of losing him alone was enough to make her want to cry and crawl into a hole.

She slowly got dresssed, her heart pounding against her chest, as if it was screaming and fighting to get out.

Kate's hand went to the doorknob, and she paused, taking a deep breath.

And then, she opened it, the smell of fresh coffee hitting her like a wave.

He was in the kitchen...he had to be.

He wouldn't just _go_, leaving only the coffee as a goodbye...would he?

She composed herself as best she could before entering the kitchen - partly relieved to see him leaning against the counter with a blank stare on his face, while the other half of her was screaming to get out, to run, to go anywhere, _anywhere_ but there.

"There's coffee, if you want it."

She nodded her thanks. "There's an extra towel in the bathroom, if you need to-"

"No, Mother and Alexis aren't home - I'll just shower there," he cut her off.

That stung.

She wasn't sure why, but...well, he'd made it seem like she was a mistake.

Like he was relieved he wouldn't have to take the Walk of Shame in front of his family.

Because that's what she was to him.

A night of shame.

Regret.

"Oh. Okay."

Silence.

She wanted to tell him how much last night had meant to her, how she _wanted_ it to mean something more, but no words would come out.

Kate could only, in fact, watch as he watched her with stormy eyes and then suddenly nod in silence after minutes had passed, and then turn to leave.

She opened her mouth to tell him 'Wait,' but silence was the only thing her body allowed to pass through her lips.

And the last thing she saw before closing her eyes in pain, was Richard Castle walking out of her door, shooting her one more look as he closed it.

* * *

><p><em>Can last night last?<br>Or was it just too much red wine, or one too many lonely nights?  
>Can last night last?<br>This could be the start of us, every morning waking up to your sleepy eyes smiling back,  
>or is it just too soon to ask,<br>Can last night last?_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Review? :)<em>**


End file.
